1 00:00:00,867 --> 00:00:02,735 [narrator] They are watching you. 2 00:00:02,737 --> 00:00:07,206 More than 5,000 satellites circle the Earth. 3 00:00:07,208 --> 00:00:10,542 Every day, they uncover new mysterious phenomena 4 00:00:11,211 --> 00:00:13,112 that defy explanation. 5 00:00:15,315 --> 00:00:19,385 The Mojave's 18,000 square mile cypher. 6 00:00:19,387 --> 00:00:20,953 Whoa. 7 00:00:20,955 --> 00:00:22,354 This must be it. 8 00:00:22,356 --> 00:00:23,322 It's just one of the weirdest things 9 00:00:23,324 --> 00:00:25,257 I've ever seen. 10 00:00:25,259 --> 00:00:28,227 [narrator] Gateway to the Viking underworld. 11 00:00:28,229 --> 00:00:30,796 Legends have it that this is where the devil 12 00:00:30,798 --> 00:00:33,032 had an earthly court. 13 00:00:33,034 --> 00:00:36,402 [narrator] And the 200,000 ton ghost ship. 14 00:00:36,404 --> 00:00:38,904 We don't know what secrets it might have taken 15 00:00:38,906 --> 00:00:41,040 with it to the bottom of the ocean. 16 00:00:41,042 --> 00:00:44,410 [narrator] Baffling phenomena, mystery from space, 17 00:00:44,412 --> 00:00:46,211 what on Earth are they? 18 00:00:46,213 --> 00:00:49,481 [rock music playing] 19 00:01:04,731 --> 00:01:08,133 [narrator] The Mojave Desert, South Eastern, California, 20 00:01:09,869 --> 00:01:14,206 25,000 square miles of pretty much nothing. 21 00:01:15,408 --> 00:01:18,977 And a mystery revealed from the skies. 22 00:01:18,979 --> 00:01:22,281 Given just how remote this place is, 23 00:01:22,283 --> 00:01:23,315 it's just one of the weirdest things 24 00:01:23,317 --> 00:01:25,017 I've ever seen. 25 00:01:29,889 --> 00:01:31,723 [narrator] Don Vaughn is investigating 26 00:01:31,725 --> 00:01:34,560 this code etched into the featureless landscape. 27 00:01:35,528 --> 00:01:39,298 Captured on April 22nd, 2020. 28 00:01:39,300 --> 00:01:41,033 [Vaughn] This isn't really like anything 29 00:01:41,035 --> 00:01:42,367 I've ever seen before. 30 00:01:42,369 --> 00:01:44,403 It has that massive circle in the middle 31 00:01:44,405 --> 00:01:47,406 and then it's radiating out rectangles. 32 00:01:49,476 --> 00:01:53,212 [Klint] We got a very unconventional looking grid. 33 00:01:53,214 --> 00:01:55,514 Closest thing that I can think of is pulling apart 34 00:01:55,516 --> 00:01:59,084 a computer and looking at the circuit board. 35 00:01:59,752 --> 00:02:01,954 It makes no sense to have it out 36 00:02:01,956 --> 00:02:03,288 in the middle of the California desert. 37 00:02:05,558 --> 00:02:07,993 [narrator] The Mojave has long been a place 38 00:02:07,995 --> 00:02:10,062 for clandestine activities. 39 00:02:10,064 --> 00:02:13,432 A historical haven for military experiments. 40 00:02:14,868 --> 00:02:18,070 But these weird lines appear to be something different. 41 00:02:19,038 --> 00:02:22,174 And they're over three miles wide. 42 00:02:22,176 --> 00:02:23,909 They look like the kind of remnants 43 00:02:23,911 --> 00:02:25,444 or the outline of a town. 44 00:02:25,446 --> 00:02:29,748 And all is lacking are, well, frankly buildings and people. 45 00:02:29,750 --> 00:02:33,252 Could this be the remains of an abandoned 46 00:02:33,254 --> 00:02:35,020 real estate project? 47 00:02:35,022 --> 00:02:36,955 We do know that in the Mojave desert, 48 00:02:36,957 --> 00:02:39,725 there was one of these, 49 00:02:39,727 --> 00:02:41,994 and it was called California City. 50 00:02:44,364 --> 00:02:46,732 [narrator] These lines in the desert to the west 51 00:02:46,734 --> 00:02:49,268 of the site in the image are all that remains 52 00:02:49,270 --> 00:02:51,537 of California City. 53 00:02:51,539 --> 00:02:53,939 One of the biggest real estate nightmares 54 00:02:53,941 --> 00:02:55,307 in history. 55 00:02:57,010 --> 00:03:01,380 Its story begins in 1958, when a property developer 56 00:03:01,382 --> 00:03:04,983 launches an audacious plan to exploit housing shortages 57 00:03:04,985 --> 00:03:07,920 in LA by constructing a new metropolis 58 00:03:07,922 --> 00:03:09,288 in the Mojave. 59 00:03:10,523 --> 00:03:12,324 The intention of California City 60 00:03:12,326 --> 00:03:14,293 was to create a second Los Angeles 61 00:03:14,295 --> 00:03:16,161 out in the middle of the desert. 62 00:03:16,163 --> 00:03:19,331 An enormous city, more than 200 square miles 63 00:03:19,333 --> 00:03:20,699 in scale. 64 00:03:24,037 --> 00:03:25,737 [narrator] The developer buys up over 65 00:03:25,739 --> 00:03:28,373 80,000 acres of scrub, 66 00:03:28,375 --> 00:03:31,243 carves out hundreds of miles of road, 67 00:03:31,245 --> 00:03:35,247 and start selling plots at under $1,000 apiece. 68 00:03:37,317 --> 00:03:40,919 But the desert mega city dream soon becomes 69 00:03:40,921 --> 00:03:42,754 a cash guzzling catastrophe. 70 00:03:42,756 --> 00:03:44,957 [tense music playing] 71 00:03:44,959 --> 00:03:47,259 [Trevor] Unfortunately, nobody wanted to live there. 72 00:03:47,261 --> 00:03:49,194 It became infamous for being the largest city 73 00:03:49,196 --> 00:03:51,163 that never went anywhere. 74 00:03:51,165 --> 00:03:53,966 [Samantha] As real estate venture, California City was, 75 00:03:53,968 --> 00:03:55,701 an enormous failure. 76 00:03:55,703 --> 00:03:58,837 It really wasn't a very inviting place to live, 77 00:03:58,839 --> 00:04:03,709 and so the developers cut their losses, and walked away, 78 00:04:03,711 --> 00:04:07,145 leaving a ghost town in the sand. 79 00:04:09,549 --> 00:04:12,050 [narrator] Yet a wider scan of the region reveals 80 00:04:12,052 --> 00:04:16,088 this can't be the remains of another desert ghost town. 81 00:04:16,090 --> 00:04:18,223 [Guy] Now, if you think this place is weird enough, 82 00:04:18,225 --> 00:04:20,259 there are at least two more like it. 83 00:04:20,261 --> 00:04:22,794 Not just in California, but also in Nevada 84 00:04:22,796 --> 00:04:23,929 and Arizona. 85 00:04:23,931 --> 00:04:26,632 So something seriously strange is going on 86 00:04:27,533 --> 00:04:29,901 [suspenseful music playing] 87 00:04:29,903 --> 00:04:31,703 [narrator] All in, the pattern stretched 88 00:04:31,705 --> 00:04:35,540 across some 18,000 square miles of desert. 89 00:04:35,542 --> 00:04:38,744 A swath of land almost 60 times bigger 90 00:04:38,746 --> 00:04:40,379 than New York City. 91 00:04:42,982 --> 00:04:44,316 Whoa. 92 00:04:44,318 --> 00:04:46,118 This must be it. 93 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,054 These are the lines I saw in the satellite image. 94 00:04:54,594 --> 00:04:55,827 [narrator] The lines in the image 95 00:04:55,829 --> 00:04:58,297 are flattened tracks of dirt. 96 00:05:02,068 --> 00:05:04,569 And there are hundreds of miles of them. 97 00:05:06,406 --> 00:05:07,806 Oh. 98 00:05:07,808 --> 00:05:09,975 I wasn't expecting this. 99 00:05:09,977 --> 00:05:13,545 There's actually rocks lining the road. 100 00:05:16,849 --> 00:05:18,483 [exhales] That is weird. 101 00:05:20,453 --> 00:05:22,821 [narrator] Ancient people across the Americas 102 00:05:22,823 --> 00:05:25,057 used rocks to create giant symbols 103 00:05:25,059 --> 00:05:27,893 in the desert, perhaps says ritualistic 104 00:05:27,895 --> 00:05:31,296 offerings or messages to their gods in the skies. 105 00:05:33,333 --> 00:05:38,136 But never on this scale and in this regimented pattern. 106 00:05:38,138 --> 00:05:40,706 [Vaughn] If that wasn't weird enough, got the same thing 107 00:05:40,708 --> 00:05:42,374 going on in three states. 108 00:05:44,043 --> 00:05:46,011 The only things with enough resources 109 00:05:46,013 --> 00:05:48,480 to make something like this happen 110 00:05:48,482 --> 00:05:51,149 are governments and big corporations. 111 00:05:52,251 --> 00:05:54,086 It still doesn't tell me why it's here. 112 00:05:56,255 --> 00:05:58,156 [narrator] The satellite image guides Vaughn 113 00:05:58,158 --> 00:06:01,093 to an unusual shape to the north. 114 00:06:02,428 --> 00:06:04,296 What is that? 115 00:06:06,432 --> 00:06:08,900 Looks like a giant, empty swimming pool. 116 00:06:08,902 --> 00:06:12,170 [tense music playing] 117 00:06:13,740 --> 00:06:15,907 [narrator] The colossal concrete basin measures 118 00:06:15,909 --> 00:06:19,244 around 12 and a half thousand square feet, 119 00:06:19,246 --> 00:06:22,714 enough to hold 50,000 gallons of water. 120 00:06:23,483 --> 00:06:25,350 And I can see that the concrete 121 00:06:25,352 --> 00:06:28,053 has plants popping out of it all over. 122 00:06:28,055 --> 00:06:30,989 Must not have been used in the couple decades. 123 00:06:30,991 --> 00:06:33,191 But the weird thing is, it probably has enough 124 00:06:33,193 --> 00:06:35,961 water in it to support thousands of people. 125 00:06:40,900 --> 00:06:44,102 [narrator] 600 yards away, Vaughn finds the first clue 126 00:06:44,104 --> 00:06:46,204 as to what drew so many people 127 00:06:46,206 --> 00:06:48,640 to this desolate corner of California. 128 00:06:49,842 --> 00:06:52,277 [Vaughn] Whoa! Look, it's a star. 129 00:06:56,482 --> 00:06:58,383 I think it's been made out of the same rocks 130 00:06:58,385 --> 00:07:00,252 as the edges of the road. 131 00:07:00,254 --> 00:07:02,387 [tense music playing] 132 00:07:02,389 --> 00:07:04,256 [narrator] The shape at the center of the patterns 133 00:07:04,258 --> 00:07:07,426 was once one of the most wildly recognized, admired, 134 00:07:07,428 --> 00:07:10,695 and sometimes feared symbols in the world. 135 00:07:12,098 --> 00:07:15,700 I know that in World War II, all of the US 136 00:07:15,702 --> 00:07:18,136 military vehicles had a five-pointed star 137 00:07:18,138 --> 00:07:20,405 just like this, painted on them. 138 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:23,708 So maybe this site really is military. 139 00:07:23,710 --> 00:07:25,944 Maybe it's from World War II. 140 00:07:27,914 --> 00:07:29,981 [narrator] Declassified records confirm 141 00:07:29,983 --> 00:07:32,017 that the massive patters in the image 142 00:07:32,019 --> 00:07:34,586 are an extraordinary, yet forgotten relic 143 00:07:34,588 --> 00:07:37,155 of military history. 144 00:07:37,157 --> 00:07:39,157 The troops going through this called it hell. 145 00:07:40,326 --> 00:07:42,127 These troops were facing threats 146 00:07:42,129 --> 00:07:43,962 that they had never seen before. 147 00:07:44,464 --> 00:07:46,331 And fairly a large number died. 148 00:07:46,333 --> 00:07:48,967 But when you're talking half a million soldiers, 149 00:07:48,969 --> 00:07:50,202 you're gonna expect that. 150 00:07:50,204 --> 00:07:51,403 [canon firing] 151 00:07:55,107 --> 00:07:58,243 [narrator] Coming up, mayhem in the Mojave. 152 00:07:58,245 --> 00:08:03,048 Nonstop organized chaos to prepare our troops 153 00:08:03,050 --> 00:08:05,217 for the largest campaign in history. 154 00:08:05,219 --> 00:08:08,053 [narrator] And code of the Viking witch. 155 00:08:08,055 --> 00:08:10,121 Labyrinths are seen as a gateway 156 00:08:10,123 --> 00:08:11,556 to the underworld. 157 00:08:15,495 --> 00:08:18,597 [theme music playing] 158 00:08:21,501 --> 00:08:23,401 [narrator] Strange patterns stretching 159 00:08:23,403 --> 00:08:25,971 over 18,000 square miles. 160 00:08:27,273 --> 00:08:29,040 Something weird is going on out here. 161 00:08:30,109 --> 00:08:31,610 [narrator] Have drawn Don Vaughn 162 00:08:31,612 --> 00:08:33,378 to the Mojave Desert. 163 00:08:34,313 --> 00:08:36,915 I've counted around 10 of them 164 00:08:36,917 --> 00:08:40,519 between California, Nevada, and Arizona. 165 00:08:41,420 --> 00:08:44,155 And they all look really similar. 166 00:08:47,994 --> 00:08:49,761 [narrator] Clues on the ground reveal 167 00:08:49,763 --> 00:08:52,864 that this seemingly, endless expanse of dirt roads 168 00:08:52,866 --> 00:08:56,701 is all that remains of a gargantuan temporary city. 169 00:08:59,138 --> 00:09:01,573 A brutal boot camp designed to ready 170 00:09:01,575 --> 00:09:03,408 American troops for the horrors 171 00:09:03,410 --> 00:09:05,510 of World War II. 172 00:09:05,512 --> 00:09:07,012 What we're seeing in this image 173 00:09:07,014 --> 00:09:08,813 is the largest army training post 174 00:09:08,815 --> 00:09:10,515 in the United States. 175 00:09:10,517 --> 00:09:13,985 The more I think about it, the more it makes sense, 176 00:09:13,987 --> 00:09:17,022 because the first area of conflict that the US Army 177 00:09:17,024 --> 00:09:20,592 fought in World War II was actually in North Africa. 178 00:09:20,594 --> 00:09:22,427 So this would be the perfect place 179 00:09:22,429 --> 00:09:25,430 to train green troops for desert warfare. 180 00:09:27,967 --> 00:09:29,367 [narrator] The massive training camp 181 00:09:29,369 --> 00:09:32,404 has its origins in the late 1930s. 182 00:09:33,339 --> 00:09:38,476 At this time, the US Army has just 180,000 soldiers. 183 00:09:38,478 --> 00:09:42,047 Nazi Germany has over three and a half million. 184 00:09:44,183 --> 00:09:47,018 As conflict looms, there is a growing horror 185 00:09:47,020 --> 00:09:50,021 in Washington that the country is terrifyingly 186 00:09:50,023 --> 00:09:53,158 ill-prepared to wage a global war. 187 00:09:55,127 --> 00:09:57,095 When America entered into the war, 188 00:09:57,097 --> 00:09:59,297 you got to remember that her military in many ways 189 00:09:59,299 --> 00:10:02,467 are kind of light years behind what's going on in Europe. 190 00:10:03,402 --> 00:10:07,205 And so there is a need to ramp up military strength 191 00:10:07,207 --> 00:10:10,275 very, very quickly, and to take troops, 192 00:10:10,277 --> 00:10:13,078 and to get them ready for a combat situation. 193 00:10:15,047 --> 00:10:17,882 [narrator] To prepare hundreds and thousands of rookies 194 00:10:17,884 --> 00:10:20,185 to take on the crack Nazi troops, 195 00:10:20,187 --> 00:10:23,154 the US Government turns to its most battle hardened 196 00:10:23,156 --> 00:10:27,158 and feared general, George S. Patton. 197 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,027 [Klint] Patton was a career soldier. 198 00:10:29,029 --> 00:10:32,464 He first saw a combat in 1916, fighting Pancho Villa. 199 00:10:32,466 --> 00:10:35,934 And then he commanded the Tank Corps in World War I. 200 00:10:35,936 --> 00:10:38,903 We needed someone to command a fighting army 201 00:10:38,905 --> 00:10:40,505 on the field of battle. 202 00:10:40,507 --> 00:10:43,141 We didn't have many people that can fit that build, 203 00:10:43,143 --> 00:10:44,509 but George Patton was one of them. 204 00:10:46,579 --> 00:10:48,713 [narrator] Many in the US military believe 205 00:10:48,715 --> 00:10:51,383 the key to defeating Hitler is a direct assault 206 00:10:51,385 --> 00:10:54,719 on Nazi-held France. 207 00:10:54,721 --> 00:10:57,956 But British Prime Minister Winston Churchill persuades 208 00:10:57,958 --> 00:11:01,393 President Roosevelt to use North Africa as a launch pad 209 00:11:01,395 --> 00:11:04,462 for an invasion of Southern Europe. 210 00:11:04,464 --> 00:11:07,265 And that is why Patton alights on the Mojave Desert 211 00:11:07,267 --> 00:11:09,467 and goes, "Yup, I'm gonna requisition 212 00:11:09,469 --> 00:11:12,504 18,000 square miles of that and I'm gonna 213 00:11:12,506 --> 00:11:14,506 use that to train my men." 214 00:11:15,441 --> 00:11:17,075 [mortar firing] 215 00:11:17,077 --> 00:11:19,544 [narrator] To mimic the rigors and dangers awaiting them 216 00:11:19,546 --> 00:11:22,213 in the Nazi-held deserts of North Africa, 217 00:11:22,215 --> 00:11:23,882 Patton orders the construction 218 00:11:23,884 --> 00:11:26,751 of the largest military training ground in history. 219 00:11:28,020 --> 00:11:30,121 Thirteen tent mega cities, 220 00:11:30,123 --> 00:11:33,425 three miles long and one mile wide, each housing 221 00:11:33,427 --> 00:11:35,994 fifteen thousand rookie soldiers. 222 00:11:37,063 --> 00:11:40,532 They had to train over half a million troops. 223 00:11:40,534 --> 00:11:44,002 To do that, they set up a logistical network 224 00:11:44,004 --> 00:11:46,404 that would rival major cities today. 225 00:11:49,842 --> 00:11:53,178 [narrator] At any given time, 180,000 troops 226 00:11:53,180 --> 00:11:55,213 camp out in the desert. 227 00:11:56,982 --> 00:11:59,117 During their 14-week training, 228 00:11:59,119 --> 00:12:00,719 30,000 at a time 229 00:12:00,721 --> 00:12:03,421 are put through a series of punishing mock battles 230 00:12:03,423 --> 00:12:06,991 and exercises under the merciless Mojave sun. 231 00:12:08,060 --> 00:12:09,427 There were hundreds of casualties, 232 00:12:09,429 --> 00:12:11,296 people that suffered from heat stroke, 233 00:12:11,298 --> 00:12:13,031 snake bites, scorpion stings, 234 00:12:13,033 --> 00:12:15,233 even getting struck by tanks. 235 00:12:15,235 --> 00:12:17,202 [Samantha] This was a grueling training program 236 00:12:17,204 --> 00:12:18,870 for the men who were there. 237 00:12:18,872 --> 00:12:22,207 It was war theater on a grand scale. 238 00:12:22,209 --> 00:12:23,942 And it was designed to prepare these men 239 00:12:23,944 --> 00:12:26,010 for something absolutely ferocious. 240 00:12:26,012 --> 00:12:29,180 [suspenseful music playing] 241 00:12:29,182 --> 00:12:30,882 [narrator] The desert training center 242 00:12:30,884 --> 00:12:33,952 is part of an astonishing nationwide recruitment drive 243 00:12:33,954 --> 00:12:36,421 during the early years of World War II. 244 00:12:37,423 --> 00:12:40,358 Between 1941 and 1943, 245 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:41,893 the unlisted strength 246 00:12:41,895 --> 00:12:44,963 of the US Army increases by five million. 247 00:12:45,731 --> 00:12:47,899 Yet Patton knows he needs more than 248 00:12:47,901 --> 00:12:50,268 just trained soldiers to take on Hitler's 249 00:12:50,270 --> 00:12:52,137 feared Africa Corps. 250 00:12:53,472 --> 00:12:55,073 In order to defeat the Germans 251 00:12:55,075 --> 00:12:57,842 in the expanses of the African desert, 252 00:12:57,844 --> 00:13:00,078 the Americans needed armored divisions. 253 00:13:01,514 --> 00:13:04,582 Patton needed his commanders to know the tactics 254 00:13:04,584 --> 00:13:06,184 of fighting in a big, 255 00:13:06,186 --> 00:13:08,920 open terrain area, vastly different 256 00:13:08,922 --> 00:13:12,056 than the hedgerows and hills of Western Europe. 257 00:13:12,058 --> 00:13:15,160 And Mojave was a perfect place to do that. 258 00:13:17,363 --> 00:13:19,330 [narrator] As it prepares for war, 259 00:13:19,332 --> 00:13:24,536 total US tank production stands at just 365 machines a year. 260 00:13:25,971 --> 00:13:30,775 By 1942, this has increased to over 26,000. 261 00:13:30,777 --> 00:13:33,444 And Patton uses the Mojave to choreograph 262 00:13:33,446 --> 00:13:36,548 massive maneuvers of his new war machines. 263 00:13:38,484 --> 00:13:42,120 Keeping everything flowing is absolutely critical 264 00:13:42,122 --> 00:13:44,255 to large-scale warfare. 265 00:13:44,257 --> 00:13:46,991 To do that, he needed to know if their equipment 266 00:13:46,993 --> 00:13:49,460 was going to be able to handle extreme conditions. 267 00:13:49,462 --> 00:13:52,030 Eighty odd years ago, this place would have been 268 00:13:52,032 --> 00:13:55,366 a buzzing hive of activity, with planes flying 269 00:13:55,368 --> 00:13:57,836 through the sky, tank battalions driving 270 00:13:57,838 --> 00:13:59,938 across the landscape. 271 00:13:59,940 --> 00:14:04,042 Essentially, a nonstop organized chaos to prepare 272 00:14:04,044 --> 00:14:07,378 our troops for the largest campaign in history. 273 00:14:10,149 --> 00:14:13,818 [narrator] In November 1942, just seven months 274 00:14:13,820 --> 00:14:16,087 after setting up camp in the Mojave, 275 00:14:17,156 --> 00:14:19,624 Patton leads the 33,000 strong 276 00:14:19,626 --> 00:14:21,226 Western Tank Forces Assault 277 00:14:21,228 --> 00:14:23,127 on North Africa. 278 00:14:25,130 --> 00:14:27,999 His victorious campaign paved the way 279 00:14:28,001 --> 00:14:30,768 for the Allied Invasion of Sicily and the conquest 280 00:14:30,770 --> 00:14:33,738 of Italy, which sounds the death knell 281 00:14:33,740 --> 00:14:35,974 for Hitler's control of Southern Europe. 282 00:14:35,976 --> 00:14:38,443 [crowd cheering] 283 00:14:38,445 --> 00:14:42,814 [dramatic music playing] 284 00:14:42,816 --> 00:14:45,483 [narrator] The site that gave rise to this pivotal moment 285 00:14:45,485 --> 00:14:48,920 in history remains a monument to those that died 286 00:14:48,922 --> 00:14:52,523 in the pursuit of freedom all those years ago. 287 00:14:52,525 --> 00:14:54,993 Without the training undertaken here, 288 00:14:54,995 --> 00:14:57,028 it's unlikely that the US campaign 289 00:14:57,030 --> 00:15:00,265 in North Africa would have ended quite so quickly. 290 00:15:00,267 --> 00:15:02,834 Who knows how much longer the war could have gone on, 291 00:15:02,836 --> 00:15:04,569 and how many more would have died. 292 00:15:11,410 --> 00:15:14,512 [narrator] Coming up, Sorceress Island. 293 00:15:14,514 --> 00:15:17,782 This island had a fearsome reputation 294 00:15:17,784 --> 00:15:20,551 as a center of evil. 295 00:15:20,553 --> 00:15:23,021 [narrator] And Russia's mystery invincible weapon. 296 00:15:23,023 --> 00:15:25,757 What you have is a single missile capable 297 00:15:25,759 --> 00:15:28,159 of taking out 10 different cities. 298 00:15:31,897 --> 00:15:34,265 [theme music playing] 299 00:15:35,401 --> 00:15:39,137 [narrator] April 14th, 2021, 300 00:15:39,139 --> 00:15:42,240 a satellite passing over the Swedish coastline... 301 00:15:43,208 --> 00:15:45,476 scans Bla Jungfrun, 302 00:15:45,478 --> 00:15:48,279 a bleak, isolated island steeped in myth 303 00:15:48,281 --> 00:15:49,981 and folklore. 304 00:15:51,350 --> 00:15:54,319 Throughout the Middle Ages and beyond, 305 00:15:54,321 --> 00:15:57,722 this island had a fearsome reputation 306 00:15:57,724 --> 00:16:01,059 as a center of evil. 307 00:16:01,061 --> 00:16:03,895 Legends have it that this is where the devil 308 00:16:03,897 --> 00:16:08,499 had an earthly court where he would have satanic feasts 309 00:16:08,501 --> 00:16:10,735 and terrifying rituals. 310 00:16:11,904 --> 00:16:13,705 [narrator] As the orbiting camera scans 311 00:16:13,707 --> 00:16:16,007 the southern tip of the cursed island, 312 00:16:16,009 --> 00:16:19,844 it captures a weird symbol on the rocks below. 313 00:16:19,846 --> 00:16:23,214 It really looks like a giant just came by 314 00:16:23,216 --> 00:16:27,185 and pressed its finger into the island. 315 00:16:27,187 --> 00:16:30,822 But if you look closely, these are channels 316 00:16:30,824 --> 00:16:35,193 that you can walk through, which means, essentially, 317 00:16:35,195 --> 00:16:38,396 that what we're looking at is a labyrinth. 318 00:16:39,832 --> 00:16:41,232 [narrator] Examples of labyrinths 319 00:16:41,234 --> 00:16:43,501 are found throughout antiquity. 320 00:16:44,503 --> 00:16:46,971 Mysterious codes etched into stone 321 00:16:46,973 --> 00:16:49,741 whose precise meaning remains a mystery. 322 00:16:51,744 --> 00:16:54,112 One interpretation of this ancient symbol 323 00:16:54,114 --> 00:16:57,382 may explain this island's dark reputation. 324 00:16:58,150 --> 00:17:00,518 Labyrinths are associated with mysticism 325 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:03,921 and seen as a gateway to the underworld. 326 00:17:03,923 --> 00:17:08,226 Labyrinths are often part of the symbology 327 00:17:08,228 --> 00:17:09,927 used by witches. 328 00:17:09,929 --> 00:17:12,530 There's, uh, one possible explanation is... 329 00:17:12,532 --> 00:17:14,832 This labyrinth that we're looking at 330 00:17:14,834 --> 00:17:18,836 is a performance space for rituals. 331 00:17:18,838 --> 00:17:21,139 It could have been left alone for centuries 332 00:17:21,141 --> 00:17:23,241 because people were afraid to touch it. 333 00:17:24,343 --> 00:17:26,411 [narrator] Around 12 centuries ago, 334 00:17:26,413 --> 00:17:30,148 the Vikings ruled the waters around the island. 335 00:17:30,150 --> 00:17:32,550 Their belief system could explain evidence 336 00:17:32,552 --> 00:17:34,452 of witchcraft there. 337 00:17:36,889 --> 00:17:40,758 The Vikings were famous for their sorcerers, 338 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:43,494 witches, and their understanding 339 00:17:43,496 --> 00:17:46,664 of the combination between medicine and magic. 340 00:17:46,666 --> 00:17:48,866 It's thought that each tribe actually 341 00:17:48,868 --> 00:17:51,969 has their own labyrinth, dedicated to one 342 00:17:51,971 --> 00:17:55,306 of the Norse gods, so Odin or Thor. 343 00:17:56,208 --> 00:17:57,442 [narrator] Male Norse gods 344 00:17:57,444 --> 00:17:59,744 dominate much of Norse mythology. 345 00:18:00,879 --> 00:18:03,181 Yet in times of battle and bloodshed, 346 00:18:03,183 --> 00:18:05,149 they turned to the goddess Freya, 347 00:18:05,151 --> 00:18:06,484 and witchcraft. 348 00:18:07,252 --> 00:18:10,021 The Vikings took magic very seriously. 349 00:18:10,023 --> 00:18:12,790 And so witches played a very important role 350 00:18:12,792 --> 00:18:15,226 in Viking society. 351 00:18:15,228 --> 00:18:18,262 Witches were so important that you'd never start 352 00:18:18,264 --> 00:18:20,965 a battle without being blessed by a witch. 353 00:18:23,102 --> 00:18:26,537 [narrator] Viking witches were called staff carriers. 354 00:18:28,140 --> 00:18:30,408 They travel from tribe to tribe, 355 00:18:30,410 --> 00:18:34,445 delivering prophecies and communing with spirits. 356 00:18:34,447 --> 00:18:38,850 The image we have today of witches with potions really 357 00:18:38,852 --> 00:18:43,321 got its origins in Scandinavia and Viking culture. 358 00:18:43,323 --> 00:18:46,958 It's very likely they practiced sorcery 359 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:50,962 by pharmaceuticals, that they gave you a plant 360 00:18:50,964 --> 00:18:52,797 that would make you hallucinate. 361 00:18:52,799 --> 00:18:54,432 [eerie music playing] 362 00:18:54,434 --> 00:18:56,968 [narrator] Norse witches create potions 363 00:18:56,970 --> 00:18:59,971 which transform warriors into berserkers. 364 00:18:59,973 --> 00:19:01,506 [metal clanking] 365 00:19:01,508 --> 00:19:03,241 [narrator] Fighters who waged battle 366 00:19:03,243 --> 00:19:05,376 in a trance-like fury. 367 00:19:06,912 --> 00:19:09,547 The term berserker is a fearless warrior 368 00:19:09,549 --> 00:19:11,916 who basically is, like, a shape changer. 369 00:19:11,918 --> 00:19:15,086 A berserker is one who assumes the guise 370 00:19:15,088 --> 00:19:18,589 of a bear or a wolf, uh, a wild creature. 371 00:19:20,959 --> 00:19:22,360 [narrator] By the 12th century, 372 00:19:22,362 --> 00:19:23,728 much of Scandinavia 373 00:19:23,730 --> 00:19:26,330 has converted to Christianity. 374 00:19:26,332 --> 00:19:29,167 But belief in witchcraft remains strong in many 375 00:19:29,169 --> 00:19:32,403 of the region's remote isolated populations. 376 00:19:33,438 --> 00:19:37,775 These Pre-Christian Pagan beliefs carried on 377 00:19:37,777 --> 00:19:40,444 like a substratum in society. 378 00:19:40,446 --> 00:19:43,748 Scandinavia is a very rural landscape, 379 00:19:43,750 --> 00:19:46,851 and so these activities could carry on 380 00:19:46,853 --> 00:19:49,187 undetected literally for hundreds of years. 381 00:19:49,189 --> 00:19:50,821 [suspenseful music playing] 382 00:19:50,823 --> 00:19:52,390 [narrator] In the 15th century, 383 00:19:52,392 --> 00:19:55,459 the Catholic Church launches a violent campaign 384 00:19:55,461 --> 00:19:59,163 to rid Sweden and the rest of Europe of witchcraft. 385 00:20:00,432 --> 00:20:05,036 Over the following 150 years, witch finders prosecute 386 00:20:05,038 --> 00:20:08,005 over 80,000 people suspected of practicing 387 00:20:08,007 --> 00:20:11,375 black magic, executing half of them. 388 00:20:11,377 --> 00:20:15,246 The authorities stopped at nothing in order 389 00:20:15,248 --> 00:20:20,418 to seek out and condemn these perceived witches. 390 00:20:20,420 --> 00:20:22,420 [Kevin] There was no real evidence. 391 00:20:22,422 --> 00:20:24,522 It was just merely the suspicion 392 00:20:24,524 --> 00:20:28,492 or the accusation of somebody close to you 393 00:20:28,494 --> 00:20:31,696 that could result in your violent death. 394 00:20:33,732 --> 00:20:35,800 [narrator] In Sweden, this bloody purge 395 00:20:35,802 --> 00:20:38,869 is called The Great Noise. 396 00:20:38,871 --> 00:20:41,505 A driving force behind it is a man known 397 00:20:41,507 --> 00:20:45,176 as "the evil chaplain" who slays 71 398 00:20:45,178 --> 00:20:47,712 suspected witches in a single day. 399 00:20:48,714 --> 00:20:51,315 Confessions were exhorted 400 00:20:51,317 --> 00:20:53,050 by torture. 401 00:20:53,052 --> 00:20:55,353 And once that had been obtained, 402 00:20:55,355 --> 00:20:59,257 the poor victim would be summarily executed. 403 00:20:59,259 --> 00:21:01,259 In a lot of cases, they were beheaded 404 00:21:01,261 --> 00:21:03,527 and their bodies burned. 405 00:21:03,529 --> 00:21:06,430 It was a horrible purge of innocent people. 406 00:21:07,499 --> 00:21:09,800 [narrator] It is believed that medieval witches 407 00:21:09,802 --> 00:21:13,037 may have chosen the island in the image as refuge 408 00:21:13,039 --> 00:21:14,939 from the horrors being carried out 409 00:21:14,941 --> 00:21:16,574 on the Swedish mainland. 410 00:21:17,476 --> 00:21:20,845 In the 16th century, scholars called this place 411 00:21:20,847 --> 00:21:23,914 a sanctuary for witches. 412 00:21:23,916 --> 00:21:26,183 Some traditions suggested that the witches 413 00:21:26,185 --> 00:21:29,987 would come to this island often just before Easter 414 00:21:29,989 --> 00:21:33,157 to celebrate these diabolical rituals. 415 00:21:34,526 --> 00:21:36,460 [narrator] Who created the bizarre labyrinth 416 00:21:36,462 --> 00:21:40,064 and when remains unclear. 417 00:21:40,066 --> 00:21:42,333 Yet recent excavations on the island 418 00:21:42,335 --> 00:21:44,502 suggests its connections to the dark arts 419 00:21:44,504 --> 00:21:47,238 may stretch back for millennia. 420 00:21:48,407 --> 00:21:51,142 Archeologists have identified at least two caves 421 00:21:51,144 --> 00:21:54,011 that have been occupied during the Stone Age. 422 00:21:54,013 --> 00:21:56,914 This is before the arrival of agriculture. 423 00:21:56,916 --> 00:21:59,450 Among the discoveries was an altar, 424 00:21:59,452 --> 00:22:02,520 and they did some carbon testing and found 425 00:22:02,522 --> 00:22:05,723 that it was 9,000 years old. 426 00:22:05,725 --> 00:22:08,059 [dramatic music playing] 427 00:22:08,061 --> 00:22:10,061 [narrator] The origins of the Vikings belief 428 00:22:10,063 --> 00:22:12,730 in witches and the power they wielded 429 00:22:12,732 --> 00:22:15,266 has long been shrouded in mystery. 430 00:22:16,168 --> 00:22:18,169 The discovery could suggest that it was 431 00:22:18,171 --> 00:22:20,571 from this island that it rose up 432 00:22:20,573 --> 00:22:23,874 and helped guide the destiny of the greatest warrior race 433 00:22:23,876 --> 00:22:26,243 the world has ever seen. 434 00:22:26,245 --> 00:22:29,347 This really sets the imagination on fire 435 00:22:29,349 --> 00:22:33,084 to think about what rituals took place, 436 00:22:33,086 --> 00:22:34,952 and the gods that were celebrated 437 00:22:34,954 --> 00:22:36,420 right here. 438 00:22:41,159 --> 00:22:42,893 [narrator] Coming up, the mystery 439 00:22:42,895 --> 00:22:45,363 of the disappearing mega tanker. 440 00:22:45,365 --> 00:22:46,997 [man] This is so bizarre. 441 00:22:46,999 --> 00:22:50,434 It seems as if this is a ghost ship. 442 00:22:50,436 --> 00:22:53,938 [narrator] And the terrifying toxic time bomb. 443 00:22:53,940 --> 00:22:57,108 It was an absolute environmental disaster. 444 00:23:00,479 --> 00:23:03,247 [theme music playing] 445 00:23:04,883 --> 00:23:07,251 [narrator] August 15th, 2020, 446 00:23:08,387 --> 00:23:09,754 a spy bird scans 447 00:23:09,756 --> 00:23:12,056 the tropical island of Mauritius, 448 00:23:12,058 --> 00:23:15,259 1,000 miles off Africa's east coast. 449 00:23:18,997 --> 00:23:21,732 [man] This looks like a real piece of paradise. 450 00:23:21,734 --> 00:23:24,335 You can see the white lines of waves breaking 451 00:23:24,337 --> 00:23:27,772 across the reef, but there's this rectangle here 452 00:23:27,774 --> 00:23:29,473 that looks like a ship. 453 00:23:31,209 --> 00:23:33,210 On these photos, it looks like it's stranded, 454 00:23:33,212 --> 00:23:35,513 abandoned, might even be leaking. 455 00:23:37,082 --> 00:23:39,116 [man] This looks like a pretty big container ship. 456 00:23:39,118 --> 00:23:43,053 So if it is leaking, something toxic and horrible, 457 00:23:43,055 --> 00:23:44,955 there's gonna be a lot of it. 458 00:23:46,158 --> 00:23:47,825 [narrator] Maritime records revealed 459 00:23:47,827 --> 00:23:51,729 that this is a 980-foot long tanker carrying around 460 00:23:51,731 --> 00:23:55,032 one million gallons of heavy engine oil. 461 00:23:55,034 --> 00:23:56,167 This boat is called... 462 00:23:56,169 --> 00:23:59,703 Or rather was called, uh, the Wakashio. 463 00:23:59,705 --> 00:24:03,140 Now, this is an enormous bulk carrier. 464 00:24:03,142 --> 00:24:06,110 It's in the top one percent for size 465 00:24:06,112 --> 00:24:08,446 of all the vessels ever built. 466 00:24:08,448 --> 00:24:10,514 It's a seagoing giant. 467 00:24:12,217 --> 00:24:13,717 [narrator] Over the following days, 468 00:24:13,719 --> 00:24:16,353 images taken by Maxar revealed the monster 469 00:24:16,355 --> 00:24:18,889 vessel is beginning to break up. 470 00:24:18,891 --> 00:24:22,259 [Ken] This is where things really start to go wrong. 471 00:24:23,094 --> 00:24:27,264 What we can see now is oil pouring out 472 00:24:27,266 --> 00:24:31,235 of the side of the vessel into this area 473 00:24:31,237 --> 00:24:34,939 between the coral reef and the island. 474 00:24:35,941 --> 00:24:38,509 This is a disaster of epic proportions. 475 00:24:40,378 --> 00:24:43,214 [narrator] Over 1,000 tons of oil decimate 476 00:24:43,216 --> 00:24:45,216 the Mauritius coastline. 477 00:24:46,518 --> 00:24:48,919 One of the worst spills in the Indian Ocean 478 00:24:48,921 --> 00:24:50,321 in history. 479 00:24:51,490 --> 00:24:55,559 Yet what baffles experts is how the 200,000 ton ship 480 00:24:55,561 --> 00:24:57,628 crashed in the first place. 481 00:24:58,997 --> 00:25:00,798 The Wakashio is a modern boat. 482 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:03,400 It's got all the latest tech on board. 483 00:25:03,402 --> 00:25:06,103 So, uh, this is really perplexing. 484 00:25:06,105 --> 00:25:08,038 [Mike] It should not be there. 485 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:10,574 What are the events that led to its grounding 486 00:25:10,576 --> 00:25:12,042 on this reef? 487 00:25:13,445 --> 00:25:17,348 [narrator] Analysts turn to satellite tracking data for clues. 488 00:25:18,917 --> 00:25:22,086 They revealed that four days prior to the incident, 489 00:25:22,088 --> 00:25:24,455 the Wakashio suddenly changes direction 490 00:25:24,457 --> 00:25:26,490 as it crosses the Indian Ocean. 491 00:25:27,926 --> 00:25:30,127 It then charts a relentless course 492 00:25:30,129 --> 00:25:33,597 for the reefs at a steady speed of 11 knots. 493 00:25:34,366 --> 00:25:36,400 [Adam] This is not a normal accident. 494 00:25:36,402 --> 00:25:38,836 There should have been warnings that this shipwreck 495 00:25:38,838 --> 00:25:40,371 was going to take place. 496 00:25:40,373 --> 00:25:43,207 It didn't even attempt to slow down. 497 00:25:43,209 --> 00:25:46,310 It seems as if this is a ghost ship. 498 00:25:46,312 --> 00:25:48,946 It should have moved or changed direction 499 00:25:48,948 --> 00:25:50,114 at some point. 500 00:25:50,116 --> 00:25:51,615 This is so bizarre. 501 00:25:53,051 --> 00:25:55,519 [narrator] There are over 300 ghost ships 502 00:25:55,521 --> 00:25:59,323 and phantom vessels drifting the world's oceans, 503 00:25:59,325 --> 00:26:03,027 their crews missing, their fate a mystery. 504 00:26:03,029 --> 00:26:06,030 But this doesn't explain the Wakashio. 505 00:26:06,032 --> 00:26:09,066 Some locals reported that there were lifeboats 506 00:26:09,068 --> 00:26:12,069 from the ship, suggesting that sailors left 507 00:26:12,071 --> 00:26:14,538 the stricken ship to get to shore. 508 00:26:16,441 --> 00:26:17,975 [narrator] Allegations soon emerged 509 00:26:17,977 --> 00:26:21,045 as to why the crew decided to flee the ship following 510 00:26:21,047 --> 00:26:24,615 their four-day long collision course with the island. 511 00:26:24,617 --> 00:26:26,483 Rumors very quickly started swirling around. 512 00:26:26,485 --> 00:26:29,086 There was a party on board and they didn't notice 513 00:26:29,088 --> 00:26:31,755 that it was heading straight towards this reef, bang. 514 00:26:32,958 --> 00:26:34,024 [Mike] But most people don't have 515 00:26:34,026 --> 00:26:35,559 a four-day birthday party. 516 00:26:35,561 --> 00:26:37,962 This is not a full explanation for why the ship 517 00:26:37,964 --> 00:26:41,065 is on a crash course for four days 518 00:26:41,067 --> 00:26:43,200 without altering speed or direction. 519 00:26:45,170 --> 00:26:47,371 [narrator] As news of the incident spreads, 520 00:26:47,373 --> 00:26:51,108 authorities suggest that bad weather could be to blame. 521 00:26:51,110 --> 00:26:56,213 Yet satellite data reveals this can't be the case. 522 00:26:56,215 --> 00:26:58,182 [Adam] The shipwreck can't be blamed on a storm. 523 00:26:58,184 --> 00:26:59,883 The nearest storm is literally 524 00:26:59,885 --> 00:27:01,151 a thousand miles away, 525 00:27:01,153 --> 00:27:04,154 so something else went wrong on the Wakashio. 526 00:27:05,957 --> 00:27:07,791 [narrator] Within hours of the ship hitting 527 00:27:07,793 --> 00:27:09,927 the reefs, the Mauritian government 528 00:27:09,929 --> 00:27:13,063 deploys teams to contain the disaster. 529 00:27:13,065 --> 00:27:16,533 Every hour that goes by means more oil in the water 530 00:27:16,535 --> 00:27:18,669 and more damage to the vessel itself. 531 00:27:20,238 --> 00:27:21,505 [narrator] Despite their efforts, 532 00:27:21,507 --> 00:27:23,407 currents drag the ship across 533 00:27:23,409 --> 00:27:26,443 the sharp reefs, releasing yet more oil 534 00:27:26,445 --> 00:27:29,913 into the ocean and onto nearby beaches. 535 00:27:29,915 --> 00:27:32,049 Local people did anything they could to protect 536 00:27:32,051 --> 00:27:33,183 their island. 537 00:27:33,185 --> 00:27:35,185 They ran out with plastic bottles 538 00:27:35,187 --> 00:27:36,954 and straw that they fashioned 539 00:27:36,956 --> 00:27:39,256 into homemade booms for containing the oil. 540 00:27:40,725 --> 00:27:42,259 [narrator] When the rupturing tanker breaks in half, 541 00:27:42,261 --> 00:27:44,361 the government takes drastic 542 00:27:44,363 --> 00:27:47,398 and controversial action. 543 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:49,833 Two weeks after it runs aground on the reef, 544 00:27:49,835 --> 00:27:51,869 the Mauritian authorities decide to have the boat 545 00:27:51,871 --> 00:27:54,471 towed out and then simply scuttled. 546 00:27:55,373 --> 00:27:57,508 The scuttling is a controversial move, 547 00:27:57,510 --> 00:28:00,144 because the pressure at the bottom of the ocean 548 00:28:00,146 --> 00:28:03,080 will squeeze whatever is left in the Wakashio 549 00:28:03,082 --> 00:28:05,349 out like toothpaste from a tube. 550 00:28:07,185 --> 00:28:08,819 [narrator] What's more, the government 551 00:28:08,821 --> 00:28:11,989 doesn't disclose the location of the wreck. 552 00:28:11,991 --> 00:28:14,725 The cause of the giant ship's bizarre change 553 00:28:14,727 --> 00:28:17,394 of course and its catastrophic collision 554 00:28:17,396 --> 00:28:19,229 remain a mystery. 555 00:28:19,231 --> 00:28:21,899 Something is really strange here. 556 00:28:21,901 --> 00:28:25,502 There's just more questions than answers about this ship. 557 00:28:25,504 --> 00:28:27,738 We just don't know what secrets 558 00:28:27,740 --> 00:28:30,140 it might've taken with it to the bottom of the ocean. 559 00:28:36,381 --> 00:28:40,117 [narrator] Coming up, the monster graveyard. 560 00:28:40,119 --> 00:28:42,886 It was really like a scene out of hell. 561 00:28:42,888 --> 00:28:44,188 [narrator] And the country-killing 562 00:28:44,190 --> 00:28:45,189 mega weapon. 563 00:28:45,191 --> 00:28:47,624 It's very possible that it's gonna change 564 00:28:47,626 --> 00:28:49,760 the global dynamic. 565 00:28:53,998 --> 00:28:56,467 [theme music playing] 566 00:28:57,969 --> 00:29:00,170 [narrator] January 2021... 567 00:29:01,339 --> 00:29:03,907 a satellite passing 20 miles southwest 568 00:29:03,909 --> 00:29:06,977 of Kuwait City captures this image. 569 00:29:09,380 --> 00:29:10,514 [Devin] This is interesting. 570 00:29:10,516 --> 00:29:13,383 This looks like a black and tan stained glass window 571 00:29:13,385 --> 00:29:16,720 has been built in this giant desert. 572 00:29:16,722 --> 00:29:19,723 This is clearly manmade, but I have no idea 573 00:29:19,725 --> 00:29:21,525 what this black stuff is. 574 00:29:22,527 --> 00:29:24,461 It looks like a supersized mosaic. 575 00:29:26,397 --> 00:29:27,931 [narrator] The mystery black blobs 576 00:29:27,933 --> 00:29:31,401 cover around 10 million square feet of the desert. 577 00:29:32,470 --> 00:29:34,571 Just a few days after the image 578 00:29:34,573 --> 00:29:37,574 was taken, something weird happens. 579 00:29:40,512 --> 00:29:43,280 This is shocking, this fire is so big, 580 00:29:43,282 --> 00:29:45,282 you could see it from space. 581 00:29:45,284 --> 00:29:48,385 [man] A cloud of smoke drifted hundreds of miles. 582 00:29:48,387 --> 00:29:50,754 So this is a real danger. 583 00:29:50,756 --> 00:29:53,524 When you see pools of black stuff in the desert 584 00:29:53,526 --> 00:29:55,626 in Kuwait, you think it must be oil. 585 00:29:56,461 --> 00:29:59,163 [narrator] For some analysts, the inferno 586 00:29:59,165 --> 00:30:01,732 is a haunting reminder of a catastrophic sequence 587 00:30:01,734 --> 00:30:04,468 of events in these deserts three decades ago. 588 00:30:04,470 --> 00:30:07,471 [dramatic music playing] 589 00:30:07,473 --> 00:30:11,575 Back in 1991, the Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait. 590 00:30:11,577 --> 00:30:14,845 On their retreat, they had a scorched earth policy 591 00:30:14,847 --> 00:30:16,413 and would literally destroy 592 00:30:16,415 --> 00:30:18,615 wellheads and set them on fire. 593 00:30:19,951 --> 00:30:23,086 [narrator] Some six months earlier, Saddam Hussein 594 00:30:23,088 --> 00:30:25,322 had ordered the invasion of the gulf state 595 00:30:25,324 --> 00:30:28,992 to try to gain more control over the region's oil riches. 596 00:30:28,994 --> 00:30:32,029 Kuwait is a small country by size, 597 00:30:32,031 --> 00:30:35,999 but in terms of how much oil they have, they're immense. 598 00:30:36,001 --> 00:30:39,536 [man] It sits on top of the second largest oil field 599 00:30:39,538 --> 00:30:42,506 in the world, the Great Burgan Field. 600 00:30:42,508 --> 00:30:45,442 And that field has literally billions 601 00:30:45,444 --> 00:30:48,545 and billions of barrels of oil in it. 602 00:30:50,114 --> 00:30:51,915 [narrator] Hussein's invasion prompts 603 00:30:51,917 --> 00:30:54,885 a massive counterassault by almost a million US 604 00:30:54,887 --> 00:30:56,520 and allied forces 605 00:30:56,522 --> 00:31:00,624 who capture or kill over 100,000 Iraqi soldiers. 606 00:31:02,994 --> 00:31:06,129 As the survivors flee, the dictator orders them 607 00:31:06,131 --> 00:31:09,233 to torch around 700 oil wells, 608 00:31:09,235 --> 00:31:10,467 partly concealing 609 00:31:10,469 --> 00:31:13,937 their retreat from orbiting spy satellites. 610 00:31:13,939 --> 00:31:17,107 These fires took only a few moments to start, 611 00:31:17,109 --> 00:31:19,076 but they took months to put out. 612 00:31:19,078 --> 00:31:21,678 It was really like a scene out of hell. 613 00:31:24,182 --> 00:31:26,884 [narrator] The oil fires also contaminate 614 00:31:26,886 --> 00:31:30,153 over nine billion square feet of desert with a thick, 615 00:31:30,155 --> 00:31:32,055 tarry sludge. 616 00:31:32,057 --> 00:31:34,424 The mixture of oil and the sand made 617 00:31:34,426 --> 00:31:36,827 something called tarcrete, which literally 618 00:31:36,829 --> 00:31:38,462 is like a concrete. 619 00:31:38,464 --> 00:31:40,864 It's a slurry, that when it hardens 620 00:31:40,866 --> 00:31:43,533 is very difficult to clean up. 621 00:31:43,535 --> 00:31:47,037 It was an absolute environmental disaster. 622 00:31:47,039 --> 00:31:49,006 Given the history of this place, 623 00:31:49,008 --> 00:31:51,341 you have to wonder if these pools 624 00:31:51,343 --> 00:31:53,176 couldn't be some of the leftover oil 625 00:31:53,178 --> 00:31:54,578 from that disaster. 626 00:31:56,014 --> 00:31:59,182 [narrator] But when experts dial up the magnification, 627 00:31:59,184 --> 00:32:01,618 the mystery deepens. 628 00:32:01,620 --> 00:32:04,721 I can see tiny, little bits and pieces 629 00:32:04,723 --> 00:32:06,957 within this black material. 630 00:32:07,992 --> 00:32:10,327 It looks like some sort of physical substance, 631 00:32:10,329 --> 00:32:12,729 almost grain-like. 632 00:32:12,731 --> 00:32:15,799 We also see these rectangular shapes 633 00:32:15,801 --> 00:32:18,735 that look like trucks, bringing something over 634 00:32:18,737 --> 00:32:21,738 to this site, and dumping it in these cavities. 635 00:32:22,507 --> 00:32:24,374 Is this a landfill? 636 00:32:26,611 --> 00:32:27,811 [tense music playing] 637 00:32:27,813 --> 00:32:31,081 [narrator] Mankind dumps two billion tons of trash 638 00:32:31,083 --> 00:32:33,317 into landfill sites every year. 639 00:32:34,085 --> 00:32:36,086 The US alone generates enough 640 00:32:36,088 --> 00:32:38,755 to fill almost 100,000 Olympic 641 00:32:38,757 --> 00:32:40,490 swimming pools. 642 00:32:40,492 --> 00:32:44,428 What we're looking at here is a tire landfill. 643 00:32:44,430 --> 00:32:48,332 A graveyard with all of these ponds 644 00:32:48,334 --> 00:32:50,300 filled with tire waste. 645 00:32:51,536 --> 00:32:54,171 [narrator] Each day, over four million tires 646 00:32:54,173 --> 00:32:56,707 are discarded across the globe, 647 00:32:56,709 --> 00:33:00,143 thousands of tons of which end up right here. 648 00:33:01,012 --> 00:33:03,480 Many businesses throughout the United States 649 00:33:03,482 --> 00:33:06,216 and the world pay for their trash to just 650 00:33:06,218 --> 00:33:09,486 basically disappear, for someone else to handle it. 651 00:33:09,488 --> 00:33:12,089 It's cheap to dispose of things like this 652 00:33:12,091 --> 00:33:14,891 and countries like Kuwait have a ton of desert, 653 00:33:14,893 --> 00:33:18,061 so people bring in tires from all over 654 00:33:18,063 --> 00:33:21,164 to be deposited in landfills like this. 655 00:33:24,035 --> 00:33:25,969 [narrator] Our obsession with horsepower 656 00:33:25,971 --> 00:33:29,906 means that 14 million tires cover the desert here. 657 00:33:29,908 --> 00:33:32,476 A sea of rubber rings which outnumbers 658 00:33:32,478 --> 00:33:35,278 the local population, three to one. 659 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:37,180 This is in fact the largest tire dump 660 00:33:37,182 --> 00:33:38,982 in the world. 661 00:33:38,984 --> 00:33:42,119 Tires don't decompose, so they're being buried 662 00:33:42,121 --> 00:33:43,587 in the desert to get them out of sight 663 00:33:43,589 --> 00:33:44,755 and out of mind, 664 00:33:44,757 --> 00:33:46,890 but they're not going anywhere. 665 00:33:46,892 --> 00:33:48,525 [narrator] The average tire here 666 00:33:48,527 --> 00:33:52,562 has completed at least 20,000 miles on the road. 667 00:33:52,564 --> 00:33:55,198 This means they begin decimating the environment 668 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:57,734 long before they're dumped in Kuwait. 669 00:33:58,836 --> 00:34:01,371 Every time you drive on the road, 670 00:34:01,373 --> 00:34:03,206 little bits of your tire wear away, 671 00:34:03,208 --> 00:34:05,342 and then they wash into the water system, 672 00:34:05,344 --> 00:34:07,210 and eventually down to the ocean. 673 00:34:08,212 --> 00:34:10,380 In fact 25% of the microplastics 674 00:34:10,382 --> 00:34:13,283 in the ocean are from tire parts. 675 00:34:14,285 --> 00:34:16,520 [narrator] The problem posed by particles 676 00:34:16,522 --> 00:34:20,123 of killer rubber is only going to get worse. 677 00:34:20,125 --> 00:34:23,393 With the increased popularity of electric vehicles, 678 00:34:23,395 --> 00:34:25,429 experts estimate tire consumption 679 00:34:25,431 --> 00:34:28,732 could double over the next decade. 680 00:34:28,734 --> 00:34:31,234 Electric vehicles with that huge battery pack 681 00:34:31,236 --> 00:34:33,236 are much heavier than gas vehicles, 682 00:34:33,238 --> 00:34:35,739 and so they chew through tires much faster. 683 00:34:37,408 --> 00:34:39,709 In some way, is our transition 684 00:34:39,711 --> 00:34:41,645 to electric vehicles actually harming 685 00:34:41,647 --> 00:34:42,846 the environment more 686 00:34:42,848 --> 00:34:45,916 because we're putting more plastics into the ocean? 687 00:34:45,918 --> 00:34:48,151 It's one giant feedback loop. 688 00:34:49,954 --> 00:34:52,055 [narrator] Yet perhaps the greatest threat posed 689 00:34:52,057 --> 00:34:53,457 by this vast tire dump 690 00:34:53,459 --> 00:34:56,993 comes from Kuwait's 130-degree Fahrenheit 691 00:34:56,995 --> 00:34:58,562 summer temperatures. 692 00:34:59,897 --> 00:35:02,265 You have a flammable pile of tires 693 00:35:02,267 --> 00:35:04,034 sitting in a very hot desert. 694 00:35:05,203 --> 00:35:07,370 [narrator] Black objects absorb wavelengths 695 00:35:07,372 --> 00:35:09,673 of light, converting it to heat. 696 00:35:11,209 --> 00:35:16,113 Once temperatures approach 750 degrees Fahrenheit, 697 00:35:16,115 --> 00:35:18,915 rubber starts to self-combust, 698 00:35:18,917 --> 00:35:22,719 and the toxic tire dump turns into a ticking time bomb. 699 00:35:23,855 --> 00:35:27,190 When you have giant pits of tires in a dry heat 700 00:35:27,192 --> 00:35:28,725 for a long time, 701 00:35:28,727 --> 00:35:31,027 it becomes a real fire hazard. 702 00:35:31,029 --> 00:35:34,197 Once a tire fire starts, you really just have 703 00:35:34,199 --> 00:35:37,234 to let it burn out because it burns extremely hot 704 00:35:37,236 --> 00:35:39,536 and it's very difficult to put out. 705 00:35:41,205 --> 00:35:43,306 [narrator] One such fire at this site consumed 706 00:35:43,308 --> 00:35:47,210 five million tires, releasing ten million gallons 707 00:35:47,212 --> 00:35:49,713 of oil into the ground, and a vast cloud 708 00:35:49,715 --> 00:35:52,115 of noxious fumes into the skies. 709 00:35:53,351 --> 00:35:57,053 And as yet more tires join this desert graveyard, 710 00:35:57,055 --> 00:36:00,457 the next catastrophe edges ever closer. 711 00:36:00,459 --> 00:36:01,958 If you think about where we're headed, 712 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:04,094 that pile is only gonna get bigger. 713 00:36:04,096 --> 00:36:07,330 A bigger pile of tires means a bigger fire. 714 00:36:12,336 --> 00:36:15,739 [narrator] Coming up, Russian's mystery dead zone. 715 00:36:15,741 --> 00:36:18,742 There's clearly something very wrong here. 716 00:36:22,847 --> 00:36:25,382 [theme music playing] 717 00:36:26,918 --> 00:36:30,086 [narrator] September 2020, 718 00:36:30,088 --> 00:36:33,190 an eye in the sky captures this image of the remote 719 00:36:33,192 --> 00:36:35,425 Russian Kamchatka Peninsula. 720 00:36:38,596 --> 00:36:40,931 What is really odd here 721 00:36:40,933 --> 00:36:44,801 is this plume of lime green 722 00:36:44,803 --> 00:36:47,837 spilling into the darker body of water. 723 00:36:47,839 --> 00:36:50,373 It looks like it's infecting the area. 724 00:36:50,375 --> 00:36:53,410 There's clearly something very wrong here. 725 00:36:54,278 --> 00:36:56,947 This looks like an environmental catastrophe. 726 00:36:58,416 --> 00:37:00,984 [narrator] Footage taken at ground level confirms 727 00:37:00,986 --> 00:37:03,853 that something in the water here has turned 728 00:37:03,855 --> 00:37:05,488 a 25-mile long stretch 729 00:37:05,490 --> 00:37:08,325 of coastline into a dead zone. 730 00:37:08,327 --> 00:37:10,026 Locals are reporting all kinds 731 00:37:10,028 --> 00:37:11,861 of dead marine animals, 732 00:37:11,863 --> 00:37:15,298 you got sea urchins, starfish, giant octopi 733 00:37:15,300 --> 00:37:17,734 are washing up, and no one knows why. 734 00:37:19,470 --> 00:37:21,171 [narrator] Historical records reveal 735 00:37:21,173 --> 00:37:23,206 this isn't the first time mass death 736 00:37:23,208 --> 00:37:25,075 has hit this region. 737 00:37:25,077 --> 00:37:27,544 In the 1970s, there was an event 738 00:37:27,546 --> 00:37:29,312 wherein a nearby valley, 739 00:37:29,314 --> 00:37:32,482 we were seeing die-offs of all different animals 740 00:37:32,484 --> 00:37:36,253 including bears, small rodents, and birds. 741 00:37:38,789 --> 00:37:40,390 [narrator] Ground zero for the event 742 00:37:40,392 --> 00:37:42,759 was an area known as the Valley of Death. 743 00:37:44,562 --> 00:37:46,296 [Roland] Scientists actually figured out 744 00:37:46,298 --> 00:37:50,200 that this die-off was caused by a volcano. 745 00:37:50,202 --> 00:37:52,302 It was outgassing carbon dioxide 746 00:37:52,304 --> 00:37:54,037 that had settled into the valley, 747 00:37:54,039 --> 00:37:55,872 and any wildlife, big or small, 748 00:37:55,874 --> 00:37:57,440 basically suffocated. 749 00:37:59,343 --> 00:38:02,979 Volcanoes emit gasses that can be toxic to life. 750 00:38:02,981 --> 00:38:04,614 They can emit them into the air, 751 00:38:04,616 --> 00:38:06,182 they can emit them into the water. 752 00:38:06,184 --> 00:38:09,386 So it wouldn't be unheard of that a submarine 753 00:38:09,388 --> 00:38:13,223 volcanic event could taint the ocean. 754 00:38:13,225 --> 00:38:15,725 [tense music playing] 755 00:38:15,727 --> 00:38:18,194 [woman] When scientists did eventually test the waters, 756 00:38:18,196 --> 00:38:19,763 they did find chemicals, 757 00:38:19,765 --> 00:38:22,198 but not the ones that they were expecting. 758 00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:25,402 What scientists find are traces of phenol. 759 00:38:25,404 --> 00:38:30,173 Now, phenol is a chemical that comes from heavy industry 760 00:38:30,175 --> 00:38:32,509 like the making of weapons. 761 00:38:32,511 --> 00:38:36,379 [suspenseful music playing] 762 00:38:36,381 --> 00:38:38,481 [narrator] The toxic waters sit six miles 763 00:38:38,483 --> 00:38:41,184 from the Radygino Military Base. 764 00:38:42,286 --> 00:38:45,088 What concerns defense experts is that it's rumored 765 00:38:45,090 --> 00:38:47,057 to be instrumental in developing 766 00:38:47,059 --> 00:38:50,226 a new generation of super weapons. 767 00:38:52,096 --> 00:38:54,197 Right now, the Russian Government 768 00:38:54,199 --> 00:38:56,333 is investing in the development 769 00:38:56,335 --> 00:38:59,069 of so-called invincible weapons, 770 00:38:59,071 --> 00:39:01,271 and a lot of that goes 771 00:39:01,273 --> 00:39:03,506 into the research and development, 772 00:39:03,508 --> 00:39:06,343 and production of missile testing systems. 773 00:39:07,111 --> 00:39:10,447 [tense music playing] 774 00:39:10,449 --> 00:39:12,849 [narrator] President Vladimir Putin has recently announced 775 00:39:12,851 --> 00:39:16,586 the development of six so-called invincible weapons. 776 00:39:17,455 --> 00:39:19,289 He hopes they will revolutionize 777 00:39:19,291 --> 00:39:22,992 Russia's ability to wage war and redress the balance 778 00:39:22,994 --> 00:39:25,428 of power with Washington. 779 00:39:25,430 --> 00:39:27,063 Even though these missile tests 780 00:39:27,065 --> 00:39:30,333 were supposed to be secret, they're doing it out 781 00:39:30,335 --> 00:39:33,837 in the open because Putin wants people to see 782 00:39:33,839 --> 00:39:36,005 it's another opportunity for him to point 783 00:39:36,007 --> 00:39:38,875 the spotlight on this greater, stronger 784 00:39:38,877 --> 00:39:42,212 Russia that's rising out of the former Soviet Union. 785 00:39:43,547 --> 00:39:46,116 [narrator] The biggest of Putin's invincible weapons 786 00:39:46,118 --> 00:39:48,284 is the RS-28 Sarmat 787 00:39:48,286 --> 00:39:51,121 also known as the Satan 2. 788 00:39:52,456 --> 00:39:55,959 A 200-ton liquid fueled, intercontinental missile 789 00:39:55,961 --> 00:39:59,362 with a range of over 11,000 miles. 790 00:39:59,364 --> 00:40:01,898 Studies suggest it is capable of wiping out 791 00:40:01,900 --> 00:40:05,935 an area of around 250,000 square miles. 792 00:40:08,372 --> 00:40:10,240 It's a really terrifying prospect, 793 00:40:10,242 --> 00:40:12,409 because what you have is a single missile 794 00:40:12,411 --> 00:40:15,578 that then splits into 10 different warheads 795 00:40:15,580 --> 00:40:17,814 that ostensibly could be capable 796 00:40:17,816 --> 00:40:20,283 of taking out 10 different cities. 797 00:40:20,285 --> 00:40:22,485 What makes it unique is its detection 798 00:40:22,487 --> 00:40:25,188 and evasion capabilities. 799 00:40:25,190 --> 00:40:29,058 One of the best ways to track a missile taking off 800 00:40:29,060 --> 00:40:32,095 is from the boost of heat that can be tracked 801 00:40:32,097 --> 00:40:34,297 by a satellite, but this system 802 00:40:34,299 --> 00:40:38,134 has a very short boost, providing just a small window 803 00:40:38,136 --> 00:40:39,669 to detect it. 804 00:40:42,473 --> 00:40:44,507 [narrator] Even more troubling for the US 805 00:40:44,509 --> 00:40:48,378 is Putin's development of a nuclear powered cruise missile. 806 00:40:50,014 --> 00:40:51,681 It's radical propulsion system 807 00:40:51,683 --> 00:40:52,916 will provide a warhead 808 00:40:52,918 --> 00:40:56,553 with almost unlimited range, cruising at low altitude 809 00:40:56,555 --> 00:40:59,055 to evade surface and space-based early 810 00:40:59,057 --> 00:41:01,191 warning systems. 811 00:41:01,193 --> 00:41:04,394 These missiles really kind of changed the game. 812 00:41:04,396 --> 00:41:06,963 It's like coming in through the back door. 813 00:41:07,565 --> 00:41:10,333 Russia's pursuit of more deadly, 814 00:41:10,335 --> 00:41:12,302 and faster, and more efficient, 815 00:41:12,304 --> 00:41:17,140 and more devastating missiles is beyond just a concern. 816 00:41:17,142 --> 00:41:19,542 This is really a grave threat. 817 00:41:21,645 --> 00:41:23,446 [narrator] Russian officials have since claimed 818 00:41:23,448 --> 00:41:26,483 that algae, not missile fuels are the cause 819 00:41:26,485 --> 00:41:28,384 of the toxins in the image. 820 00:41:29,253 --> 00:41:30,954 Yet some fear it is evidence 821 00:41:30,956 --> 00:41:33,056 that the country is dramatically ramping up 822 00:41:33,058 --> 00:41:35,725 its invincible weapons program. 823 00:41:35,727 --> 00:41:38,862 It's almost as if this spill is pointing 824 00:41:38,864 --> 00:41:41,598 the finger directly at the missile testing site. 825 00:41:42,433 --> 00:41:44,400 It's very possible with this creation 826 00:41:44,402 --> 00:41:47,971 of a weapon system in Russia that it's gonna change 827 00:41:47,973 --> 00:41:50,306 the global dynamic, 828 00:41:50,308 --> 00:41:52,742 the idea that this missile 829 00:41:52,744 --> 00:41:55,378 has taken such a leap in technology. 830 00:41:55,380 --> 00:41:56,946 It's very worrisome.